Mari Smith and the Quadwizard Tournament
by anonymous mars
Summary: Mari Smith was finally visiting Hogwarts. She'd finally get to see her home, and she'd finally get to meet her brother! There was just one problem: he didn't know she existed, and she wasn't allowed to tell him. Oh, and her name has been entered in the Goblet of Fire, though she swears she didn't do it. Clearly, someone knows the truth and they want Mari to come out and play.
1. Chapter 1: The Quadwizard Tournament

Chapter 1: The Quadwizard Tournament

It was the dead of summer when Mari abruptly awoke early in the night. There was a burning pain in her forehead, and a dream she couldn't recall. She didn't understand why, but she felt it was all important. Her pain, the dream…. But the only detail she could recollect was a dimly lit room. She knew there were figures in it, though she couldn't see who. She heard muffled voices, but couldn't decipher what they were saying. And a very large snake slithering up a staircase….

It was all so bizarre. Especially the sudden, random headache. Mari cringed as she placed a hand against her forehead, pressing down against the sharp pain. It had been a while since she'd received a piercing headache like this. Her aunt and uncle brushed it off the few other times it happened, but she couldn't remember it ever scorching like this.

She got out of bed and walked over to the mirror in her room. She squinted in the moonlight streaming through the window, trying to see if it looked as red as it felt, but as far as she could tell it was as pale as it had always been. She shut her eyes, trying to focus on the particulars of what she had just dreamt, but it was like trying to see through an unfocused lens. She sighed and glanced around her bedroom.

On Mari's desk lay an array of parchment and paper, pens and quills. Books from both the magical and non-magical world littered her bookshelf, and her shaggy, black dog was still curled up in his bed on the other side of the room. She walked over to the book she had been reading the night before. She stared at the pages of _Modern Magical History_ , skimming again through Harry Potter's defeat of the dark wizard Voldemort.

It was always on her mind. Harry Potter and his parents. Voldemort. People she'd never met, yet such vital individuals to her life.

Mari sat back down on her bed, bringing her hand to her forehead again. It wasn't the actual pain bothering her so much as the _why_. Mari had gotten into plenty of trouble before. She had a pretty high threshold for pain at this point. Once she'd even managed to get kicked by a hippogriff. She was shielding the idiot who pissed it off, though she wished she hadn't. The thing managed to break _both_ her arms. But this pain, it had only occurred a few times before, and her aunt and uncle had brushed it off so easily, almost like they _knew_ why it was hurting and didn't want to tell her.

Mari jumped as she heard Ghost snore from his doggy bed. She was being silly. Why was she being so suspicious that they weren't worried about silly little migraines? It was probably just stress. Mari shook her head and curled back up in her bed. _It's nothing_ , she told herself as she lay awake, staring out her window. She eventually drifted off, dreaming again of a snake and a boy with untidy black hair and glasses, dreaming again things she'd forget as soon as she awoke the next morning.

~b~r~e~a~k~

It was a week later that Mari found herself standing under the glass cupola at Ilvermorny. She looked at the four carvings around the room, reminiscing about her Sorting Ceremony when she was 11. It was the beating wings of the Thunderbird that attracted her the most, and thus was the house she chose. Some say Thunderbird House represented adventure, but Mari looked at the powerful creature and was reminded of strength and bravery.

Mari sighed contentedly before making her way to her dorm room. She smiled as she went to her usual bed and began unpacking when she heard a shout from behind her.

"Mari! Oh my gosh I missed you!" A bundle of light brown hair was all she could see as she felt arms wrap her in a hug.

"Hi, Jane," she laughed as she returned her hug.

"I told my parents I'm never going on vacation again. I missed you!"

"Oh you loved it. Don't even try to lie. How was France?"

"So great! You know my cousins go to the wizarding school there, right? Beauxbatons! You won't _believe_ what they told me about this year. It's huge news! But first, I'm starving. Let's go join the Welcoming Feast!"

Jane always spoke too fast, and she didn't pause as she grabbed Mari's arm and dragged her back to the entrance hall where they could watch the Sorting Ceremony. The new students timidly entered the wide room, their mouths agape as they admired the four large carvings that represented the houses.

The Sorting Ceremony was one of Mari's favorite things about Ilvermorny. She loved watching the carvings come to life as they wanted students. The Serpent's glowing crystal, the roaring Wampus, the Pukwudgie's arrow, and of course the Thunderbird's wings. It was a sight to behold. She watched them take turns lighting up with each new student. For a few students, two houses lit up at the same time. Each student it happened to shared the same bewildered look on his or her face when realizing they had to choose. Mari smirked each time. She knew the choice was difficult.

The first-year students ended up being distributed pretty evenly throughout the four houses, and they were now being led in four semblances of lines into the next room where they would get their wands. This part wasn't as fascinating as it was tedious. So many wands, so few students in comparison. They sat through the Wand Choosing Ceremony without complaint though, imagining the feast that they were about to devour. Finally, they were in the Banquet Hall seated at the Thunderbird table, ready to dig in.

The Welcoming Feast was incredible as usual. It consisted of American and Canadian favorites alike. The table was littered with burgers, various types of chicken, steaks, and Canadian food that Mari didn't recognize. She licked her lips and reached for a juicy burger. It was by far the best burger she'd ever eaten. She and Jane ate to their heart's content, and then some, finishing off with cupcakes before relaxing and finally studying their new recruits.

They discussed the new students for a few minutes before Headmaster Fontaine stood up. The room immediately went silent, ready to hear his welcome speech.

"Good evening! I'd like to welcome both new and returning students to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! And it's an exciting year indeed, for this year, we will be participating in an event which we've never before had the pleasure of partaking in!"

"Hey, this is what I was gonna tell you about!" Jane whisper-shouted to Mari, disappointed that Headmaster Fontaine would be the one to break the news instead of her.

"Shh," was all she replied.

"I've been in England for much of the summer, as many of you know. While there, I had many meetings with the British Ministry of Magic and with the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore. For the first time in many centuries, they will have the honor of hosting an event previously named the Triwizard Tournament.

"For those of you who have never heard of the Triwizard Tournament, it is a competition that was established centuries ago as a tournament between the three largest schools in Europe. A champion was chosen from each school and set to compete in three magical tasks. It is a competition established to create ties between wizards and witches of different nationalities, but unfortunately was discontinued due to the death toll."

The room broke out into whispers at this. Headmaster Fontaine paused long enough for everyone to gasp and make a comment before continuing.

"This year, however, the tournament is being reinstated. The British Departments of International Games and Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports, as well as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, have reached out to us and are modifying it to be the Quadwizard Tournament. Sure, the name doesn't flow as well, but, select students from Ilvermorny will travel with me in a few months to Hogwarts where this historical event will take place. We will be joined by Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic to compete for the prize, the Quadwizard Cup, as well as a thousand galleons personal prize money!

"Now, this event is only open to overage wizards! If you are still below the age of 17 when we leave in October, you will not be able to put your name forward for consideration."

At this, there was an outcry from the older students. Many of them would be turning 17 in November and later and thought that they, too, deserved the chance to participate.

"This was a decision made by the British Ministry of Magic as well as the Heads of the other schools. This rule was put in place for your safety. More information will be delivered to the older students in your classes.

"Now, time for bed so you are ready to face a new year of classes. New students, you will follow…" Headmaster Fontaine continued with the normal, beginning-of-the-year-announcements, but the girls were no longer listening.

"I turn 17 on October 1. Lucky, huh?" the girl next to Mari whispered to her. Mari turned to find Melissa winking at her.

"Mel!" she lunged at the seventh-year student, suffocating her in a hug. Mel, Jane's older sister, had been like a big sister to Mari ever since she arrived at Ilvermorny.

"Not fair," Jane grumbled as she crossed her arms across her chest. "I want to go to Hogwarts!"

"Sorry, Jane, it's only for adults," Mel said in a stuffy voice before sticking her tongue out at her little sister. Mari laughed at the exchange.

"Aww, don't be so hard on her, Mel! Besides, if this is about magical ties, then maybe they'll let underage wizards tag along to watch!"

It suddenly got quiet around Mari and she looked around to see why everyone stopped talking. Standing behind her was Headmaster Fontaine.

"Hello, Miss Smith. I'm sorry to bother you so late, but may I see you in my office?"

Mari swallowed. Why would the Headmaster want to speak with her on the first day of school? She couldn't have gotten into trouble already. She went through the events of the day in her head, trying to figure out if she'd done anything Headmaster's-Office-worthy yet.

"Yes, Headmaster." She stood up and followed him, many heads turning their way as she hung her head in shame and followed him there.

They reached a set of large, stone doors. Headmaster Fontaine mumbled something before the doors began shaking and opening on their own. Mari had seen this so many times it no longer fazed her. She was no stranger to the Headmaster's Office. She followed him into the room as he began speaking.

"Now, Miss Smith, you're probably wondering why I wanted to speak with you."

Mari looked around as they entered the large circular room. All four walls were lined with thick, dusty volumes from floor to ceiling, as she imagined any headmaster's office would be. Many different gadgets of many different shapes and colors decorated the room, and the golds, silvers and bronzes gave the room a colder feel. On a perch by the Headmaster's desk was a barn owl.

"Headmaster, I swear I didn't do it!" Mari began her run-of-the-mill, it-wasn't-me speech that she so often recited to teachers. This time though, it really _wasn't_ her.

"Mari, relax!" Fontaine laughed as Mari looked bewildered. _Laughter?_ "I know you didn't do anything. Yet." he added as an afterthought. "I called you in here for something else entirely. Have a seat."

Mari swallowed as she took a seat in one of the two large, plump, scarlet chairs in front of his desk. She wasn't sure if they were designed to comfort their occupants, or to make them feel small, for Mari certainly felt small.

"I wanted to speak with you about the Quadwizard Tournament. Mari, I want you to come to Hogwarts with us."

"What? Me? Professor, I only just turned 14!"

"No, no. Not to participate. You would be more of a supporting role. Helping the other students with what they need. You'll be taking classes with the Hogwarts students as well. Mostly, I just wanted you to be able to see the place you come from. The place your parents come from." His voice softened considerably as he said that last sentence.

Mari couldn't believe it. She had always wanted to visit Hogwarts. She had never visited the UK, although she was born there. Her parents were killed by the dark wizard Voldemort when she was an infant, and she was separated from her brother and brought to live in the Americas with her aunt and uncle ever since. No one ever told her why it had to be this way. She was lucky to know of her brother's existence at all. It was her dream to see the large castle and grounds that she knew held many memories of her family.

"You mean, I'm being brought along just to see the school?" Mari kept telling herself to shut up, but she couldn't help herself. "Am I the only underage witch going?"

"Probably not." Fontaine sighed. "Mari, after a deep discussion with Headmaster Dumbledore, followed by a long discussion with your aunt and uncle, we think it best for you to spend the year at Hogwarts. Your brother still can't know about you, but at least this way you can see him, even meet him. We'll be sending others your age to visit as well. Perhaps Jane would like to join?"

"Why can't my brother know about me?" Mari interjected. "I was told never to contact him, but no one ever told me why. He's my only family. Other than Aunt and Uncle Smith," she added.

 _Her brother._ It felt weird speaking it. She had stopped demanding answers long ago, but seeing as she might finally meet him, she couldn't stop herself now. As far as she was aware, he lived in England with their aunt and uncle from her mom's side. He didn't know she existed. Mari did a lot of research on her family, searching through history books and such. Her aunt and uncle wouldn't share much with her. It was hard for Aunt Alice to talk about her dead brother and his wife.

"That is a question for another day. I just wanted you to know in advance that you'd be leaving your classmates for the year, and you'll be joining the fourth-year students in Hogwarts. Sort of as a study-abroad program. Most people aren't allowed to study abroad between the schools because everyone would want to and it would be chaos, but we make exceptions for students such as yourself who have family in another school. When others ask why you're going, you'll tell them the truth. Your aunt and uncle asked for you to go study abroad in your home country so you could get to know your extended family."

"Wait, won't everyone be taking classes too? And what am I supposed to tell them when they ask me _who_ I know at Hogwarts?"

"No. The others will be under my instruction for the year. You're the only one who will be joining the Hogwarts student family, if you choose to do so. You're going under the pretense that you're a distant cousin of the Weasley family. Arthur and Molly have already been made aware, and they are to keep this whole thing a secret. They have told their children that you're a distant cousin of theirs. Headmaster Dumbledore tells me they are a family of redheads, much like you, that are incredibly trustworthy. You should fit right in."

He gave her a look, indicating that he had nothing more to say on the subject.

"Now, Mari, if you could _please_ just stay out of trouble, at least until we leave in October."

"I make no promises, Headmaster Fontaine." Mari saluted him mockingly and quickly evacuated his office before he had the chance to even process her departure. Mari could swear she saw his face turn red as she flew out the door though.

~e~n~d~~c~h~a~p~t~e~r

 **A/N: This is a story that's been brewing in my mind for years, and I'm finally jotting it down! Please give it a chance, I have to lay down the groundwork before taking it to Hogwarts. I'm publishing as I write, so I apologize for errors/time delays. I was going to wait until I finish the whole thing, but that'll take a while and I'm impatient!**

 **Please leave me honest feedback :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Hogwarts

**Chapter 2: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

By the time Mari arrived back at the Thunderbird lounge, Jane had already unpacked and was waiting for her, still in her school robes from the feast. Mari took a deep breath, wondering how to tell her the news. She knew she'd have to cover some of the information up. No one, not even Jane, her very best friend, knew anything other than that she lived with her aunt and uncle, and that she's originally from the UK. Mari even carried the last name of her uncle, Smith. It was a rather common and uncreative name, but it had been hers for as long as she could remember. For all intents and purposes, Uncle Carl and Aunt Alice were her parents.

"Mari! Tell me everything. What are you in trouble for? You couldn't have gotten to school long before I did, what could you have possibly done in the short time before the Sorting Ceremony?" Jane always spoke too quickly.

Mari laughed. "Relax, Jane. I'm not in trouble."

"Oh. Then why did Headmaster Fontaine need to see you?"

Mari took a deep breath and placed a small smile on her face. "Okay, so apparently, I have these distant cousins at Hogwarts that I didn't know about," she smoothly lied. "Headmaster Fontaine told me I'll be joining the group going for the tournament, so that I can do a study abroad program at Hogwarts and get to know my family."

"What? So you're going to be at Hogwarts all year?" Jane began distractedly playing with the gold Gordian Knot affixed to her blue and cranberry robes. It was a nervous habit of hers when she was upset.

Mari sighed. "Well, maybe you can come too. Headmaster Fontaine mentioned that he'd bring along other underage wizards to Hogwarts. National ties, and all."

Jane didn't speak.

"I'm going to be miserable if you don't come, Jane. You know that."

"No, no. I get it. It's your family. I just can't believe we might be apart all year." She dropped her hands into her lap and stared at them.

"Hey," Mari said as she reached over and put her right hand on top of Jane's. "If you don't come to Hogwarts, I'll be popping up in Thunderbird fireplace so often you'll get sick of me." Mari reached over and hugged her.

"You better or I'll find out how to send Howlers overseas!"

Mari laughed, mostly because she knew Jane wasn't lying. "Deal."

~b~r~e~a~k~

It was the end of September, a month before they were set to leave, that the remainder of the students allowed to go to Hogwarts were being chosen. They needed enough time to contact everyone's parents and get permission slips signed for any underage wizards who might be going. There were rules, of course. In order to go, students had to be in both excellent academic and behavioral standing. Another reason Mari's selection stood out. The closest she'd ever come to good behavioral standing was when she stood by Jane. Jane, on the other hand, would no doubt be allowed to accompany the group to Hogwarts. She was a model student, almost top of the class.

Mari sighed as she sat by one of the many tarns on campus. She didn't want to be with everyone else as they found out who got to go to Hogwarts. She was tired of the looks that had followed her around over the last few weeks. Mixed looks of jealousy and hatred, even a few awed expressions as the news of her study abroad had somehow leaked out and spread like Fiendfyre through the school.

Ever since her first day, Mari Smith had never been an unknown name at Ilvermorny. At her Sorting Ceremony, all four of the carvings lit up, and it was something no one forgot. She was always picked on for it, but she never thought of herself as special. On the contrary, she felt like an outcast. Mari had always felt _different_ in a way, like she didn't really belong at Ilvermorny at all. She was finally excited to go to a place where she'd be a nobody.

She picked up a smooth pebble and skipped it across the dark gray water. She watched as it finally sunk down under the surface, fish swimming around the stone, unfazed by its invasion of their home. She grabbed another pebble, turning it over in her hands as she thought about everything she'd avoided for so long. Like how she found out she even had a brother to begin with.

She thought hard on the memory, relived it in her mind. Looking for any clues she might have missed.

 _Mari had woken up early in the night, and she could hear voices floating into her room from downstairs. She quietly got out of bed and creaked her bedroom door open. She made her way to the top of the staircase, letting the darkness be her cover._

" _Alice, she deserves to know." Uncle Carl's voice was quiet, but firm as he spoke to Aunt Alice in the dimly lit room._

" _No, Carl. We can't tell her. You know Dumbledore wants her in the dark about this, and I do too."_

" _Alice, this is her family. Mari deserves to know she has a family!"_

" _But, you—you know who—" her voice trembled as she couldn't even complete the sentence._

" _He's gone!" Carl reminded her. But Aunt Alice didn't seem convinced._

" _We don't know that."_

" _Alice. She has a brother. How would you feel if no one ever told you you had a brother?"_

 _A brother? 9-year old Mari could no longer stay silent. She made herself visible to as she had too many questions burning her mind. "Aunt Alice? Uncle Carl?" They both jumped when they realized she was standing there. They'd put her to bed hours ago._

" _Yes sweetie, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"_

" _I—I have a brother?" Her hazel eyes were innocent and wide as she stared at her caretakers._

 _Aunt Alice looked at Uncle Carl, a combination of panic and heartbreak in the same hazel eyes she shared with her niece._

" _Sweetie, it's late, you're hearing strange things. Maybe you should go back to bed." The lie was as persuasive as ever, but Mari had always been able to pick up on a lie, no matter how believable._

" _Aunt Alice, you told me never to lie, but you're lying to me now." Mari spoke with the confidence that only a child could._

" _Mari, sweetheart. I'm sorry we never told you. We didn't think the time was right. We thought knowing would only hurt you," Aunt Alice struggled to explain to the already broken child in front of her, but she just couldn't do it._

 _Uncle Carl kneeled in front of Mari and took both of her hands in his. "You heard us correctly, sweet pea. You do have one more family member we never told you about. A—a brother." Uncle Carl's voice trembled. Aunt Alice brought her hand to her face as tears rolled down it._

" _A brother?" The word felt foreign in Mari's mouth. "What do you mean?"_

" _You have a twin brother." Uncle Carl's voice was stronger now, almost as though he resolved to make sure Mari knew as much as she could without endangering her. "He couldn't come live with us in America. He had to stay in England, with your mother's family."_

" _But why? Why can't we be together? Why didn't you tell me about him until now?"_

" _You'll understand when you're older, Mari. I promise. For now, you can't tell anyone about this. Do you hear me? No one can know. Now, let's put these thoughts away and go back to bed." Uncle Carl stood up, and taking one of Mari's small hands in his large one, he led her up the stairs. He tucked her into bed and sung softly until she drifted off and dreamt of the family she never had the chance to know._

The conversation never came back up, except to reiterate the importance that no one know the truth. But Mari couldn't ever put the truth away. It was always there, in the back of her mind. She'd tried to bring it up countless times after, but Aunt Alice and Uncle Carl always managed evade her. She couldn't even force a name out of them. She'd thought about writing to him, but knew she couldn't very well send an owl overseas, especially one addressed to "Mari Smith's unknown twin brother." I mean, he wouldn't even have the same last name, seeing as she took on her uncle's No-Maj name.

Mari threw another pebble across the water, but her hand trembled and it hit the water hard, quickly sinking to the bottom.

"Wow, what's wrong?" Mari jumped as she turned and saw Jane walking towards her.

"Nothing."

"Mari, you never come and toss pebbles into the lake unless you're upset. I've known you forever. What's wrong?"

Mari sighed, trying to come up with any explanation. She couldn't very well tell Jane about her brother. "I'm just nervous about meeting my distant cousins is all. I've never met them, I'd barely ever even heard of them until a few weeks ago." For someone who could always detect a lie, Mari was freakishly good at disguising the truth.

"What's to be nervous about? They're distant cousins. You're supposed to either love them or hate them and pretend you love them anyway. It's only a few months, when you think about it."

"You're right. I almost forgot!" she quickly changed the subject. "Were you chosen?"

Jane's face immediately lit up. "You are looking at the only other fourth year chosen to come along to Hogwarts this year!" she said proudly. Mari strongly suspected it was to ward off suspicion of Mari's travels, but said nothing about it.

"Jane, I'm so happy!" She didn't have to lie this time. She was happy Jane would be there, but wondered how much harder it would be to keep this whole thing from her while she would be there the whole time.

"Yeah, everyone else they picked was fifth year and up. They didn't want to take anyone younger, except us of course."

"Awesome! I can't wait." For the first time all day, a real smile found its way onto Mari's face.

"I gotta go find Mel so we can try and talk to our parents. I still need to convince them to let me go. But I'll catch you later?"

"Yeah, see you inside." But Jane was already gone. Mari's face darkened as she turned back towards the lake. She found a stone, picked it up, and threw it in, not even trying to skip it on the water. She watched as it slowly sunk all the way to the bottom and settled down. With it, Mari let her fears and anger sink away too. At least temporarily. If she was going to do this, she'd do it right. No anger, no fear, no sadness. Just her best self. She was going to find out the whole truth. It was time.

Mari stood up, brushed off her robes and headed back for the castle with a carefully placed smile gracing her face.

~b~r~e~a~k~

A month later, the dozen or so students departing for Hogwarts were crowding around in a circle on the grounds outside the granite castle. They all had various forms of backpacks with them, most of them enchanted with extension charms that the charms professor helped them with.

"We're travelling by Portkey? Seriously?"

"Going all the way to England by a ratty piece of string, is that even safe?"

"Technically, Hogwarts is in Scotland."

"Why can't we use Floo powder instead?"

"I don't understand why we can't take No-Maj transportation, flying is very safe!"

"Enough!" Headmaster Fontaine's voice was final, ending all arguments. "Travel overseas is very difficult." He ran his hand through his graying hair and sighed. "I've already spoken to Headmaster Dumbledore at Hogwarts, and he said there will be plenty of room for you all within the castle. The other schools are bringing their own lodging, but seeing as we had to get all sorts of permissions for overseas travel, a Portkey was the easiest compromise I could make with the British Ministry of Magic. As for Floo powder, you all know what happened last time we tried to take a field trip that way." Everyone turned to look at Mari, who shrugged in response.

"Sorry guys."

The dozen or so students were quiet as they dubiously eyed the rope. It was long enough where they would all be able to get a grip, even wrap it around their wrist without completely invading each other's personal space, but still, it did seem quite unreliable for international travel.

"Now, we will all pick up the rope. Wrap it around yourself if you have to. It will be activated in just a few minutes. Hold on very tightly with both hands, and whatever you do, don't let go. Try not to let go of your bags either, but no matter what happens, do not let that rope slip out of your hand! Better your bags end up in limbo than you. Do you understand me?"

Mumbles of "Yes Headmaster Fontaine," chorused around the group.

Mari took a deep breath. She swung her enchanted backpack over her shoulders, and with both hands, she gripped the rope as tightly as she could.

"Get ready!" he shouted. "Only 10 seconds until we're gone!"

A few seconds passed before Mari suddenly felt like she was being lurched into space and spinning as she went. She gripped the rope tighter, and in just a few moments she was landing on soft grass. She opened her eyes, and when she deemed it was safe she let go of the rope. She tried to stand up and moaned at how nauseous she felt as she fell back to the grass.

"Oh God, I think I'm gonna be sick," one of the students, Craig, mumbled before retching.

"He skipped breakfast this morning," she heard one of his roommates, Wesley, explain when nothing emerged out of Craig's mouth.

"Good judgment," Mari mumbled as she tasted that morning's bacon in her mouth. She closed her eyes and put her head between her legs, trying to keep her breakfast down. When enough time had passed that she no longer thought she'd be sick, she opened her eyes, cautiously stood up, and looked around.

Audible gasps were heard as everyone started noticing the castle towering before them. It was straight out of a fairytale. Mari felt a tugging, but not uncomfortable feeling in her gut. She didn't feel like she was in a strange place. She felt like she was home.

"This is amazing," Jane whispered from behind her.

"It's definitely older than Ilvermorny," Mel added, impressed. She was really into architecture.

"It's beautiful. It's—it's warm," was all Mari could say. She never felt like she belonged more than she did now.

"I can't believe we get to be here for the rest of the year," Jane whispered.

As they approached the stone castle, they could hear the buzz of what Mari assumed was the Hogwarts student body. When they got close enough, they could see the many students in black cloaks lined up to welcome them. In front of them was a very large carriage, being drawn by what appeared to be the largest golden horses that Mari had ever seen. A group of about a dozen students in pale blue, silk robes were making their way into the castle, led by the largest woman Mari had ever seen. She held in a gasp as they approached the black-cloaked group.

"Fontaine! Welcome, welcome!" an old man with silver hair and a matching beard shouted jovially. He was dressed in periwinkle robes, and his long beard was tucked into his belt.

"Dumbledore! It's great to see you," Fontaine greeted the old man.

The Ilvermorny group stood a few feet behind Fontaine as he walked up to Dumbledore and embraced him in a warm hug, like they were old friends.

"Have the others arrived yet?" Fontaine asked him.

"Madame Maxime and her students are warming up inside, and Karkaroff is not here yet. Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to warm up with the others?" he offered Fontaine.

Fontaine looked around at his students. It wasn't really colder here than it had been at Ilvermorny, but the students did look quite ragged and exhausted compared to Hogwarts' well-cloaked and uniform students. "Erm, I think it's best if we step inside."

The Hogwarts crowd was already parted to make a path for the Ilvermorny students up the stone steps. "Come along," he told the group, but they were already following. Except Mari.

Mari was distracted by a boy dressed like all the other students, in a Hogwarts cloak with silver fastenings, and a pointed black hat sitting atop escaping jet-black hair. He wore a pair of circular glasses over his bright green eyes, and he seemed engrossed in conversation with the red-headed boy beside him. They both looked about her age, but something in Mari was pulled to this boy, like she knew him. She was so captivated that she didn't even see most of her group was already inside the castle. She also didn't seem to notice the bright blue eyes watching her very carefully.

"Mari, come on!"

"What?" Mari shook her head and turned to see Jane pulling on her arm to catch up to the group. "Oh, sorry." Mari's feet finally started moving in sync with Jane's as they hurried up inside the castle, Dumbledore's eyes following her until she was out of sight.

The other students, Ilvermorny and Beauxbatons alike, were admiring the large entrance hall. Mari couldn't see any of it though. All she could see in her mind was the boy with the untidy black hair and bright green eyes.

~e~n~d~~c~h~a~p~t~e~r~

 **A/N: honest reviews, please! I have a lot of different ideas on where I want to take this story, so here's to hoping the best idea is the one that plays out. Thanks guys and see you soon!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Goblet of Fire

_~~~Disclaimer: some of these lines are paraphrased directly (or copied directly, for example, much of Dumbledore's speech) from HP and the Goblet of Fire, and I am not in any way claiming these lines/ideas as my own. There wasn't much way to avoid changing the lines, as I want certain parts to play out the way they did in the original series. I also plan on keeping many characters' personalities, such as Dumbledore's, as canon as I possibly can, but obviously, some aspects of each character will be affected by the presence of original characters (such as Mari—she's all mine). Thank you and enjoy the chapter!~~~_

~c~h~a~p~t~e~r~~b~e~g~i~n~s~

Chapter 3: The Goblet of Fire

As the Hogwarts students finally reentered the entrance hall with Durmstrang in tow, the Ilvermorny students waited for them to pass before following them into the Great Hall. Once there, Mari was finally shaken from her trance by the extravagance. Enormous silk banners hung from the walls, each of them a different color. One was red with a gold lion, one blue with a bronze eagle, one yellow with a black badger, and one green with a silver serpent. Behind a long table in the front was an even larger banner with a lion, eagle, badger and snake united around a large letter H. Hundreds of lit candles floated above the tables, and the ceiling appeared bewitched to show the starry black sky above.

Just inside the doorway, all the delegates from Durmstrang and Ilvermorny were looking around, trying to decide where to sit. The students from Beauxbatons had already chosen seats at the table under the blue banner. The Durmstrang students finally decided to sit under the green banner. Mari, finally finding the pair of boys she noticed earlier, quickly took a seat at their table under the red banner. The other Ilvermorny students watched her before shrugging and following suit.

When all the students had finally settled down, the staff entered and filed up to the top table, taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, Professor Fontaine, and Madame Maxime. The Beauxbatons students leapt to their feet when they saw their headmistress, eliciting laughs from a few of the Hogwarts students. The Beauxbatons students didn't appear to take notice though, and would not take their seats again until Madame Maxime sat down on Dumbledore's left hand side. Dumbledore remained standing, and silence quickly fell on the students.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and—most particularly—guests." He beamed while looking around at the foreign students. "I have a great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will both be comfortable and enjoyable."

"Comfortable? Not so sure. Enjoyable, absolutely!" Jane whispered to Mari excitedly, who turned to her and smiled back before redirecting her attention to the front.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," Dumbledore continued. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

He sat down, and the plates on the tables immediately filled with food. There was a large variety, many options of which were foreign to the girls, but they did see some American favorites join the table, too.

"Oh, thank God! They have burgers!" Jane said gratefully. She wasn't always open to new food options, and when she saw the bouillabaisse on the table, she almost gagged. "Ugh, I thought I would never have to see that stuff again!"

"You're such a baby, that _stuff_ is called _bouillabaisse_ , and it's good!" Mel told her little sister.

Mel immediately served herself some as if to reiterate her point, but after watching her for moment, Mari, like Jane, reached for the classic American dishes she recognized.

The Ilvermorny students feasted as they quietly exchanged comments about what they had seen of the school so far. Mari spoke very little as she examined the Hogwarts students at their table. At a quick glance, she counted four redheads at this table that could probably pass as these Weasleys she was supposed to pass off as her own extended family. She didn't know which of them were actual Weasleys, or if any of them were for that matter.

When the desserts popped up on the table, Mari and Jane were slightly more open to trying unfamiliar dishes. They sampled different delicacies and ate until they could eat no more, talking sluggishly with another until the golden plates had been wiped clean. Dumbledore stood up from his seat, and the girls eagerly sat up. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the hall as silence once again overtook the students.

"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, smiling around at the cheerful faces in front of him. "The Quadwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket, just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those of you who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation"—there was a small amount of polite applause— "and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was a much louder applause for Bagman than for Crouch, who only received a bit of polite applause. Mari looked to Jane and Mel who both shrugged. Craig noticed their confusion and leaned over.

"You guys are such girls!" he said condescendingly, shaking his head in disgust. "The Quidditch World Cup just took place this summer, and Ireland was in it, which means that Bagman had a head in organizing the event."

"Thanks, Craig. That was just the healthy, and by healthy, I mean toxic dose of testosterone we needed today," Mari smiled sweetly across the table at him. He rolled his eyes and turned back towards Dumbledore. He was no stranger to Mari's sass. "And for the record," Mari added, speaking to the back of his blonde head, "I'm one hell of a quidditch player! I just don't keep up with international teams."

Wesley, who was sitting across from Craig, joined in. "She's got a point, you know. She did help lead Thunderbird to victory last year."

Mari stuck her tongue out at Craig when Wesley defended her.

"Will you all shut up?" Mel finally chimed in. They turned their attention back to the front of the hall where Dumbledore continued to speak.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Quadwizard Tournament, and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, and Professor Fontaine on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."

If Dumbledore didn't have the students' focus before, he certainly did now at the mention of the word "champions." Dumbledore smiled as he said, "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

A miserable looking man with gray hair and pale eyes emerged from a corner of the hall. He approached Dumbledore carrying a great, ancient-appearing wooden chest encrusted with jewels. A murmur of excited interest rose from the students, and one tiny kid even stood up on his chair to see it properly.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," Dumbledore said as this Filch guy placed the chest carefully on the table in front of him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways…their magical prowess—their daring—their powers of deduction—and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

The silence at this point was so absolute, it seemed as though no one was breathing.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore continued calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Quadwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped the casket three times. The lid slowly creaked open, and Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.

Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the hall.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the four it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.

"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contact. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name in the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Goodnight to you all."

Mari, Jane and the other girls from Ilvermorny were told they could sleep in the girl's dormitory of whichever house they chose, and Mari, quickly figuring out that the red table was that of the house called 'Gryffindor,' said she wanted to sleep in Gryffindor's Girls Dormitory. The others were so tired they didn't bother questioning her. They were told to find a Gryffindor 'prefect,' whatever that meant, to lead the way. Finally, after asking around, they found a girl who called herself 'Head Girl' and followed her up many staircases until they reached a painting with a fat lady on it. The girl spoke to the painting and it opened, letting them all in. They then followed her up another staircase into what Mari assumed was the girl's dormitory, and they found an empty room reserved just for them.

There were just enough beds for each of the Ilvermorny girls. At the foot of each bed was a trunk, which Mari assumed was to store their things. Each bed was decorated with red and gold curtains to match the house colors. Their bags were already gathered in the center of the room, and Mari reached for her back, not remembering ever removing her backpack since she'd arrived.

"How—?" Mari started before Head Girl cut her off.

"You go to a magical school, that you traveled overseas to by holding onto an enchanted magical object for a few minutes. Are you really asking how your bags are in an empty room right now?"

"Touché," Mari mumbled. She was finally seeing what it was like being on the other end of her sarcasm and she did not enjoy it.

"Now," the girl said, straightening the badge affixed to her robes, "if you need anything, feel free to ask. The password for the Common Room is 'Balderdash,' so just say that to the fat lady and she'll open the door for you. Goodnight, and welcome to Hogwarts."

"Well, she's pleasant," Mari broke the silence after assuring she was out of earshot. The other girls giggled as they each claimed a bed and unpacked their things so they could get ready for bed. It was a rather silent affair, as the portkey travel wore them out. They all finally got into a bed, the whispers fading away as they fell asleep one by one.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Mari whispered to herself as she laid in bed, thinking of the boy with untidy black hair and bright green eyes.

~b~r~e~a~k~

The next morning, Mari and Jane woke up early in the morning and found their way down to the entrance hall. They were exhausted—it was about 5 hours earlier at Ilvermorny—but seeing as they were at Hogwarts, they wanted to get up and start exploring sooner rather than later.

It seemed they weren't alone, for when they reached the entrance hall, there were already a couple of dozen people or so already surveying the Goblet of Fire, some of them nibbling on toast. It had been placed in the center of the hall on a stool, and a thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around in every direction.

Mari quickly spotted the black-haired boy and his red-haired friend standing across the room. She subtly made her way over to where they were standing until she was in earshot, and Jane blindly followed, unaware of Mari's obsession with the boy.

"Bet some of them put it in last night after we'd gone to bed," the black-haired boy was saying. "I would've if it had been me…wouldn't have wanted everyone watching. What if the goblet just gobbed you right back out again?"

Mari was trying to gain the courage to ask the red-haired boy if he happened to be a Weasley, just to try and make conversation, when someone laughed behind them.

The girls turned to see two stocky, redheaded twins run down the staircase with a dark-skinned boy following, all three of them looking very excited.

One of the redheaded boys immediately began whispering to the other trio that had been standing there. For the first time, Mari noticed the girl with them. She had large, bushy brown hair and intelligent brown eyes.

"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," she said in a warning voice to the three boys who'd come in a few minutes before. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this."

Mari quickly figured that they were underage, and probably thought an Aging Potion would get their names in the goblet. She rolled her eyes, knowing very well that it wouldn't work.

The three boys ignored the girl and stepped to the edge of the glowing gold line. One of the red-haired boys slipped a piece of paper out of his pocket and bravely stepped over the line, with his twin brother quickly bounding after him. In the next moment though, there was a sizzling sound and both boys were thrown out of the golden circle as though they'd been sucker-punched. Their landing sounded painful as they hit the stone ground about ten feet away. There was then a loud popping noise as both of them sprouted identical long white beards.

Everyone in the entrance hall, including Mari and Jane, began laughing. After a few seconds the two boys got a good look at each other and then joined in.

"I did warn you," a deep amused voice sounded. Mari and Jane turned to see Professor Dumbledore emerge from the Great Hall. His eyes twinkled with delight as he examined the twins. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."

The two boys walked away with their dark-skinned friend, still laughing, following. The two boys and girl that Mari were stalking walked into the Great Hall, and Mari pulled Jane along, wanting to keep them in sight.

"Come on, Jane, let's get something to eat. I'm starving."

The decorations in the Great Hall were different this morning than last night. Live bats were flapping around the enchanted ceiling, while hundreds of carved pumpkins were watching them from every corner. Mari and Jane sat a few seats away from the group.

"Mari, why are you so distracted?" Jane asked just as a tall black girl emerged from the entrance hall, the noise of people cheering following her in.

"What?" Mari met Jane's eyes for the first time all morning, concern shining prominently. "Sorry," Mari apologized. "It's just, I haven't met my family yet," she easily lied. "I don't even know who they are." She glanced back at the red-headed boy with the black-haired boy. Jane's eyes followed hers.

"Well, he has red hair. Didn't Fontaine say your cousins were red-heads?"

"Yeah, he did." But Mari was still watching the black-haired boy. She could see the edge of a scar peeking out from under his messy hair on his forehead. _Why_ did he feel so familiar?

While nibbling on a piece of toast, Mari and Jane exchanged a few words on the school, comparing things they've seen so far to their own beloved campus. When Mari noticed the others get up to leave the Great Hall, she finally worked up the courage to stand and catch up to them, intercepting them in the entrance hall.

"Hi, um, are you by any chance a Weasley?" she blurted out to the red-haired boy. She immediately noticed the freckles dotting his nose as his face took on a defensive position. Mari got the impression she offended him, but couldn't imagine why.

"What's it to you?" he sneered.

Mari was taken aback. She was trying to muster up an answer when his bushy-haired friend nudged him.

"Ron!" she chastised him. "Sorry for his rudeness," she told Mari, still glaring at him. "Yes, he's Ron Weasley. I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Harry Potter," she said, gesturing to herself and then the black-haired boy.

Harry Potter. A million thoughts began flying through her head as she quickly glanced at the famous boy, but she barely skipped a beat when she answered Hermione. "I'm Mari Smith, and this is Jane Peterson. We're from Ilvermorny. Ron and I are apparently distant cousins or something. I'll be joining you in classes for the remainder of the school year, assuming you're fourth-year students."

A look of recognition dawned on Ron's face as a pink color quickly took over it. "Oh, I forgot you were coming with the Ilvermorny group. Sorry I was rude. Do me a favor and don't tell my mum. Yeah, we're all fourth-years" he told Mari, an embarrassed smile cautiously creeping onto his face. He seemed to put on his best behavior upon learning who she was.

Suddenly, Hermione got very excited. "I've just realized—I haven't asked Hagrid to join S.P.E.W. yet! You can join too," she said brightly, speaking this last part to Mari and Jane. "Wait for me, will you, while I nip upstairs and get the badges?" she said to them before disappearing.

"What's 'spew?'" Jane asked. Mari shrugged.

"Don't ask," Ron answered, exasperation evident in his voice.

"Hey, Ron," Harry said suddenly, still ignoring the girls. "It's your friend…"

Mari, Jane and Ron followed Harry's gaze to see the students from Beauxbatons coming through the front doors from the grounds. Those gathered around the Goblet of Fire stood back to let them pass, watching eagerly.

Madame Maxime entered the hall behind her students and organized them into a line. One by one, the Beauxbatons students who were of age stepped across the Age Line and dropped their slips of parchment into the blue-white flames. As each name entered the fire, it briefly turned red and emitted sparks.

"What d'you reckon'll happen to the ones who aren't chosen?" Mari heard Ron mutter to Harry. "Reckon they'll go back to school, or hang around to watch the tournament?"

"Dunno," said Harry. "Hang around, I suppose. Madame Maxime's staying to judge, isn't she?"

"Well, this tournament is about 'national ties' and whatnot, so we'll be staying." Jane said from behind them. The two boys jumped. They'd forgotten Jane and Mari were there.

Harry and Ron looked sheepish as they watched the Beauxbatons students leave the hall and go back out to the grounds again.

"Where are _they_ sleeping, then?" said Ron, moving toward the front doors and staring after them.

A loud rattling noise sounded behind them and Mari and Jane turned to see Hermione reappear with a box of badges.

"Oh good, hurry up," Ron said as he jumped down the stone steps, keeping his eyes on the Beauxbatons group that was already halfway across the lawn with their headmistress.

"Ron, wait!" Hermione shouted as he and Harry started making their way down the stone steps. Hermione turned back to the girls. "I'm sorry about your cousin's rudeness," she said to Mari, seemingly embarrassed for him.

"It's fine," Mari said to her, knowing he wasn't her real cousin anyway. She was just glad to finally know their names.

"I will have to induct you into S.P.E.W. later," Hermione said, already flying out the door behind the boys. "It was nice meeting you!"

"Well, your cousin is friendly," Jane said sarcastically.

"He's a fourteen-year-old boy, what did you expect?" Mari honestly didn't anticipate anything different. She knew she was supposed to pretend this was her family and get along with them, but the reason she had really gone along with all this was to try and find out who her real family was. Her brother was here somewhere.

"Let's go find Mel. I want to watch her and the others put their names in the Goblet," Jane said as she started back up the marble staircase.

Mari tried to abolish whatever connection she thought she'd felt to the black-haired boy who ended up being Harry Potter. Clearly, part of her gut must have recognized that he was the famous wizard who ended the war, and that's all she felt when she saw him. Awe. She didn't feel like that explanation was satisfactory, but she didn't have time to dwell on him. She had an actual brother to find. Putting the thought out of her mind, she turned to follow Jane.

As they left the entrance hall, Mari shivered as she felt like she was being watched, but she brushed it off. Not once did she see the unblinking magical eye watching her from the shadows.

When the girls reached the painting of the fat lady and gave her the password, she was quite reluctant to let her in. She kept saying "But you're not Gryffindors!" and the girls had to argue their way in. When she finally conceded and swung the door open, Mari and Jane crawled through to find Mel and the other Ilvermorny girls getting ready to leave the Gryffindor common room.

"Aw man!" Jane whined when she noticed them about to leave. "Do you know how long it took us to get the painting to open the door for us?"

At this, they heard an indistinguishable mumble from the door outside.

Mel laughed. "Sorry Jane. But we have a tournament to enter."

"Wait, where'd the guys sleep?" Mari wondered.

"Dunno," answered Mel, looking around. "I thought they were in Gryffindor too."

The girls shrugged to each other before making their way back out of the common room and down to the entrance hall, the five or so overage Ilvermorny girls clutching their parchment in their hands. When they got there, they found Craig, Wesley and the other Ilvermorny boys already gathered around.

"There you are!" Wesley shouted. "We've been waiting for you forever." The overage boys were also clutching their parchments in their hands.

"Wait, where did you sleep?" Mel asked.

"We were in the Hufflepuff dorms! Those are some cool guys," Craig answered.

"Can you guys put your names in now?" Mari broke the small talk.

"Yes, please," Jane chimed in.

The other kids in the hall backed away from the goblet to let the Ilvermorny group through when they realized they were trying to enter. The Ilvermorny students organized themselves in a very loose line, a stark contrast to the structured Beauxbatons group from earlier. One by one, they stepped over the glowing Age Line and dropped their names into the goblet. As the fire had done with the previous group, it briefly turned red and emitted sparks with the addition of each parchment.

"What's done is done," Mel said as she came back over the line, a nervous but content smile resting on her face. "Now we wait."

The Ilvermorny group spent the rest of the day exploring the grounds and hanging out by the edge of the lake outside until midafternoon when it began drizzling. They then made their way back into the castle to explore the inside, finding amusement in opening every door they could, trying to figure out which steps were trick steps, and laughing at each other as they took turns getting stuck in them. Mari couldn't remember the last time she laughed so much. She'd spent too many months the past year brooding.

They spent the last hour or so before dinner hanging out in the Gryffindor common room in front of the warm fireplace. They talked about who they thought would get chosen. Mari knew it would have to be either Wesley or Mel. They were tied to be top of the seventh-year class. Each one's weakness was the other's strength. While Wesley rocked at Defense Against the Dark Arts, he sucked at Charms. Mel on the other hand was a Charms expert, with Defense Against the Dark Arts being a more difficult class for her. Everyone knew it was most likely down to one of them though.

"Would you enter if you were old enough?" Jane lazily asked Mari.

Mari took the time thinking about her answer, contemplating the glory and pride that awaited the winner. "No, I don't think I would."

"Wait, why not? You're not one to say no to danger." Jane was honestly surprised at her best friend's answer.

"It's not the danger I'm shying away from. It's the spotlight. I'm so glad to spend a year being just an average kid where no one knows me." For what felt like the first time in a while, Mari was completely honest with Jane.

"Yeah," Jane contemplated. "I guess you've never really had that. Everyone at Ilvermorny knows you. But you know you're anything but average." Jane's voice held a slight bitterness to it, but Mari couldn't understand why. Jane just didn't get how unpleasant it was having everyone's eyes and opinions follow you everywhere you went. The fourth-years hated Mari because she was so naturally talented in nearly every subject. She'd far advanced her year's level of magic and took many classes with upperclassmen. She was in fifth-year charms and sixth-year potions. She was even in seventh-year Defense Against the Dark Arts. It had been many years since Ilvermorny had such an advanced student.

But Mari didn't mean to be so good. The magic was just there, and she knew how to control it without thinking much about it. She was happy this year to be amongst her own age group, amongst students that didn't know her capabilities. She was going to keep it that way for as long as she could.

When it was late enough, they all finally decided it was time to head down to the Great Hall for dinner. They were eager to see who the chosen champions would be. They were early to the candlelit Great Hall and took their seats at the Gryffindor table again. The Goblet of Fire was now standing in front of Dumbledore's empty chair at the teacher's table.

The Ilvermorny kids chatted about the probable champions some more while the hall filled up. It was almost full by the time Mari noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione appear. They took seats between the Ilvermorny group and the twins she saw earlier, who were now clean-shaven and appeared to be in good spirits.

"I really hope it's you, Mel," Mari whispered across the table. Mel smiled and winked in response.

As dinner started, another array of elaborately prepared food appeared on the table. Mari held in a groan upon surveying the feast. She missed simple dinners and appropriately-sized portions. She ate sparsely and quickly, noticing she wasn't the only impatient face gracing the Great Hall tonight.

Finally, the golden plates were cleared and the noise level in the room increased before dying away the moment Dumbledore stood. The headmasters and headmistress of the other schools looked tense. Mr. Bagman looked jovial as he winked at various students, and Mr. Crouch looked bored _._ Mari didn't understand how anyone could find this event boring.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" — he gestured to the door behind the staff table — "where they will be receiving their first instructions."

He took out his wand and with a great wave, all the candles except those inside the stuffed pumpkins were extinguished. Without the lights from the floating candles, the Goblet of Fire was now the brightest light in the hall, its sparkling blue-white flames almost painful to the eyes. Everyone watched eagerly.

Suddenly, the flames glowed red and sparks began to fly from the goblet. In the next moment, a flame shot into the air, and a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it. The whole room gasped.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length so he could read it by the light of the flames, which were now once again their blue-white color.

"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a loud, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum."

"No surprise there!" Mari heard Ron yell out as everyone in the hall applauded and cheered. Krum rose from what Mari deduced was the Slytherin table and headed towards the staff table. Following Dumbledore's earlier instructions, he disappeared through the door into the next chamber.

Professor Karkaroff was on the front table, yelling proudly over the noise, "Bravo Viktor! Knew you had it in you!"

The clapping and cheering died down as everyone's attention was again affixed on the goblet, which was now turning red for the second time tonight. A flame shot out again, forcing out another piece of parchment. Dumbledore easily caught it and held it by the flames again.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," he read, "is Fleur Delacour!"

A girl rose from the Ravenclaw table and shook back her sheet of silvery blonde hair. The other Beauxbatons students looked severely distressed, some of them even breaking out in tears. Mari raised an eyebrow at them before watching as Fleur made her way to the front of the hall, following Krum's footsteps into the hidden chamber.

The Goblet of Fire shone red again, and the flame shot out the third piece of parchment. Everyone was silent, waiting for Dumbledore to announce the next champion.

"The champion for Ilvermorny," his voice again loud and clear, "is Melissa Peterson!"

"Yes!" Mari and Jane shouted as the rest of the Ilvermorny group clapped politely. Wesley was the only one from those who entered who smiled genuinely at her, with Craig looking extremely disgruntled next to him. Melissa gleefully rose and followed Krum's and Delacour's path up to the teacher's table and into the chamber.

After a few seconds, the Goblet of Fire turned red again, sparks showering out of it. Dumbledore reached to the tip of the flame and his hand emerged with a fourth piece of parchment.

"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"

The next table, which Mari deduced was Huflepuff, was in uproar. The students had all jumped up and were standing, screaming and stamping their feet, as a handsome boy made his way past them. Even the Ilvermorny guys were cheering him on more sincerely than they did Mel. Diggory smiled largely and following the other champions, disappearing into the chamber behind the teachers' table.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as the last of the clamor quieted down. "Well, now we have our four champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Durmstrang, Beauxbatons and Ilvermorny, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real—"

But Dumbledore was cut off as he was distracted by the goblet.

It's blue-white flames were suddenly blazing red again as it emitted sparks. A long flame resembling those from earlier shot out of it, and another piece of parchment emerged. Dumbledore reached out his long arm to grab it reflexively. He stared at the name written upon it, and there was a long pause as everyone in the room stared at him. Then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out—

"Harry Potter."

Mari, along with everyone else in the hall, looked over at the bewildered boy, still seated with a stunned look on his face. There was no applause for him, only angry buzzing. Some students were standing to get a better look at him as he still had not moved.

At the teacher's table, a stern-looking woman rose and made her way to Dumbledore. She began whispering urgently in his ear as he frowned slightly. The entire table was watching him, openmouthed.

"I didn't put my name in," Mari could hear him say blankly to Ron and Hermione. "You know I didn't."

But both of them just stared blankly back at him.

Dumbledore straightened back up and nodded to the professor who was speaking to him.

"Harry Potter!" he called again, "Harry! Up here, if you please!"

Mari watched Hermione give Harry a slight push.

Harry finally stood and stumbled up to the teacher's table. He moved along it and exited the Great Hall, the look of absolute disbelief never leaving his face.

Everyone's buzzing was suddenly cut off as the Goblet of Fire did the most unexpected thing yet. It's blue white flames turned red _again_. It once again emitted a long flame, and everyone's bewilderment melted into anger and bitterness as it shot out a _sixth_ piece of parchment.

Dumbledore automatically reached for it as he had done with the others. He stared at the name written for far longer than he'd stared at Harry's. Looking Mari dead in the eye, he finally read the name in a clear, strong voice.

" _Mari Potter."_

~e~n~d~~c~h~a~p~t~e~r~

 **A/N: I know you're all probably thinking this is far-fetched, but keep in mind that's totally what FanFiction is for! Our far-fetched ideas. Here's to hoping you at least like this one! Please leave honest reviews, and favorite/follow the story if you're even remotely interested in seeing where it goes! Thanks guys :)**


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